This book is a Beauty and Beast retelling. I usually love fairytale retelling and this one was no exception! It was an easy read and lovely to get through.

This time the roles were reversed and Bettina, the female love interest was the 'beast'.

We see the story from Beau's POV. Beau is such an amazing character. He's loyal and caring. He loves his family and decides to give up his weekend so he can help them. He also looks past what others say to see Bettina's true self.

He doesn't judge her and along the way, he gets to know her. Even when he barely knows her, he refuses to believe that she is a beast and sticks up for her.

Bettina is a great character too! She is misunderstood but she doesn't really care what others think about her. She has gone through a lot and people have made her out to be something she is not but she still perseveres.  She is a little manipulative but I think she can be forgiven because we all do somethings that are wrong to get what we want.

Through the story as Beau works at Bett's family's ranch, they talk and become friends. Their feeling develops gradually and blossoms into something so sweet and adorable. Overall, I really loved the book!

l:dr: The book was okay, but I didn't connect with the characters so it was ultimately forgettable.

Okay so I have some seriously mixed feelings about this book and its taken me a while to figure out exactly how I feel about it. It wasn't a bad book, but overall I found it to be quite forgettable? I was initially interested because it was said to be a modern day Beauty and the Beast retelling, which I could see, but I think it was largely because I went into it looking for those aspects.

One thing I did really enjoy was that it was a YA Contemporary story told from the perspective of a male protagonist. I know there are a few of them out there, but I haven't read too many. While i did like this aspect, it may have been part of what hindered my enjoy met of the story, because I have very much loved other Contemporary books with male protagonists (The Serpent King)


Like I said before, I don't think this is a bad book, I just don't think that it is going to stick with me which is really my biggest criticism of the book. As I was reading a lot of the characters fell kind of flat and didn't feel fully fleshed out. I wanted to know more about Beau's family, and specifically I wanted Berla to show me things instead of telling me things. When books stick with me its often because I adore the characters, and I just didn't feel connected with them.

I'm still working on how to best summaries my thoughts into a proper review, so that will come the more I write.....so yeah thats a review.


Who I might recommend this book to: People who enjoy quick contemporary romance books or those who like Beauty and the Beast retellings.

Who doesn't like a good fairytale retelling? If you are looking for a lighthearted read, Beau & Bette may be for you. I finished it in a day, and it's perfect for your upcoming beach read it and long car rides. It's a lighthearted story about appearances, dedication, familial love, and teenage infatuation. It features a lighthearted tone, very clever turns on traditional tropes and story skeleton, and a voice and humor which is entirely enticing. Beau, the avocado farm, and his family are the highlights of this novel.

Though not deterring from the positive factors of the book, the relationship between Beau and Bette is shallow. This may be due to the book’s focus on the side characters. The scenes are dialogue heavy, and this causes issues with the pacing. The book both drags and rushes at times. I would summarize Beau and Belle as a book that is plot and time driven where its peaks and valleys should be driven by the characters’ evolving relationship.

Therefore, I give Beau and Bette 2 stars. A charming concept with room for improvement.

Thank you NetGalley and Amberjack Publishing for allowing me to read this book.

I really enjoyed this retelling of a classic disney movie I liked that the roles where switched the guy was “beauty” and the girl was “beast” I would totally recommend this for anyone that likes retellings of classics

A modern day retelling of beauty and the beast
This time the boy is "beauty" and the girl is the "beast". Its an easy read. I enjoyed it. I didnt really didnt get why she was considered the beast I think she was just really lonely and everyone was mean to her. Shes kind of sheltered but other than that shes ok.

This was a unique take on the tale of Beauty and the Beast set around a couple of high schoolers.
One rich, the other not so much.
I enjoyed this particular take mainly because of the role reversal here. We saw Beau as “Beauty” and then we have Bett who even at her own school is named “the Beast.”
I enjoyed watching these two, who are so very different, come together, even in the friendly sense. It was nice to see Bett coming out of her shell, admitting things to Beau she wouldn’t admit to anyone else. Getting insight into her family, while at the same time, enjoying the dynamic that Beau’s own family brought to the table.
Apart from the couple themselves, it was also interesting to watch Beau as well, change his way of being and eventually coming to enjoy the company of other friends who at first, he almost seems put off by. The role of friendship throughout this story, even more than the romance, was fantastic.
Overall, even though this author is new to me, I’m incredibly glad for the chance to be able to read this story. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

This is a modern day retelling of beauty and the beast. It’s not mimicking the storyline or anything at all, really. But it was an enjoyable, short read. If you’re at all interested then grab it.

I don't why I am so surprised, but I absolutely loved this! I found it on Netgalley and didn't realise it was a 'read now' book, so I suppose that's what made me a little hesitant, but I'm so glad I requested it.
Beau and Bett was honestly one of the cutest contemporary novels! While it's not hugely based on Beauty in the Beast, that wasn't the selling point for me anyway - I was totally drawn in by the cover because it is STUNNING.
I don't think I hated a single character throughout the whole story, and the relationship between Beau and Bett was so freaking cute. Not in a romantic kind of way, but in that nice-summer's day way. You know that feeling of bliss you get when you're comfortable in the sun with an ice-cream or something and there's that smell of nature and freshly-mowed lawn? No? That's not a thing? Well, now it is.
I have so much and yet so little to say about this book - it's a struggle to articulate what I'm feeling, but I can say that I loved it.
The minute this is released on shelves is the minute you need to have it on your shelf! (Understatement of the century)

Abandoned at about 20 pages in... It would probably work for a younger audience, but to me it just feels very juvenile... I did, however, like that the whole stealing a rose in the original fairytale was kept in this one, although it was an avocado instead

This is a cute contemporary Beauty and the Beast retelling.
I thought it was an okay read. I found Beth extremely obnoxious and Beau a bit too shallow and a bit slow. Yes it's a romance and yes I know exactly where the story goes, no surprises here, but he didn't have to be that dumb to get that Beth is interested.
The family scenes I enjoyed, but I'm not sold on the Cajun accent of Beau's father in the book. It felt stiff and I'd have to preferred the book without it.

I can recommend this book if you enjoy short contemporary romances, Beauty and the Beast retellings without many surprises, major plot twists and a slower pace.

I enjoyed reading this book it was a new take on beauty and the beast in a way I wasn't expecting.

The locations for the story made me dream of amazing places and the characters felt real.
I laughed and got angry with them, also shed a little tear towards the end.

I felt like this story could have been a little longer and although it took place over a month it just seemed rushed, though it worked.

Oh boy! So first things first, Beau and Bett is a modern-day retelling of the beauty and the beast; however, if you didn't know that, you wouldn't put those two together. That's not to say it wasn't an enjoyable story and didn't mirror beauty and the beast in certain ways, because it sure did! Beau and Bett is a story about hardworking, family oriented Beau who does everything he can to make his family's life easier when an accident with his mom and a certain girl, Bett, leaves him in charge of clearing the charges. Beau works at Bett's father's farm to pay off his family's debt and who he thought was rude and full of herself turns out to be rather charming and sweet, even a little closed off and shy.

Beau and Bett's romance is slow, not clearly evident at all points because their friendship is very developed. My favourite part was that most of the book was the chase, the will-they-wont-they. Bett finds a true friend in Beau, not just a technical one and Beau looks forward to his weekends of manual labour because he gets to spend time with Bett. They're never nauseating, never too cheesy because they're actually quite bashful of each other. Then there are the side characters who are all just amazing. Papa with his cajun french and mom with her endless spunk! Not to mention the rambunctious twins and amazingly innocent, misguided and a little lonely, Khalil. Oh and Ray, what a dream.

So needless to say, I really did adore this book! This book was provided to me as an ARC by Netgalley and Amberjack Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Overall rating: 4.0
Would I recommend? Yes! It's a fun read. Bett's a fun character, so is Beau. Everyone's a little flawed. Everyone's dealing with either money or family or just plain and simple teenager issues. I think it does a wonderful job capturing the uncertainty of simply being a teenager.

This book was provided by NetGalley for review.

I'm always a sucker for retellings, especially for classics. While I was initially excited, the writing of the story wasn't as gripping as I'd hoped. The writing took a bit to get into but once you did, it was a fast read. Rather than it being a retelling of Beauty and the Beast (this is misleading to be honest), it was more of a story about first love and first impressions. The dialogue makes you want to do a double-take and cringe at times but as you read along, you stick it out to see what exactly makes Beau the way he is and how it bridges the relationships between him and Bett.

Beau and Bett is suppose to be a modern retelling of Beauty and the beast with the Beau being the beauty and Bette as the beast.

While this was a cute quick read, I didn't get a feeling this was a modern retelling. I didnt think there was enough character development. I would be of prefer the big to be dual character narration to get more of the back story of Bette and the reason why everyone considered her the beast.

I read this e-arc via netgalley for an exchange for an honest review.

Classic ~ Charming ~ Sedate
tl:dr: Beauty and the beast is in the eye of the beholder

This YA/ NA romance novel updates beaty and the beast into contemporary teen life. The beauty is a smart housekeeper's son and the beast a rich, snotty girl. The two spend time together outside the confines of high school only to first deal with some personal baggage and then fall in love. I love a remixed classic, and the characters, particularly the male protagonist, Beau, are appealing. While there isn't new ground being covered, the sweet story is enjoyable and the love story is gently told.

3.5

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love the overall theme of this story that there's always something that makes us act like we do and it doesn't necessarily mean we're evil, sometimes if not most times, we're just hurting.
This is a short read and if you get past the dialogues that at some point made me want to take a pause and take a stroll or snack- then you'll love how curious Beau is and what's so relentless about Bett.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

This was an adorable contemporary, but it felt nothing like Beauty and the Beast to me. I wish I hadn't gone in expecting that, because I felt a little let down by that aspect. I thought the actual story was pretty cute, and I enjoyed reading it and would read more by this author, I just thought Bett as a "beast" was a very weird plot point, and Beau didn't feel like a gender swapped Belle, really, either. If she hadn't been called beast, the plot line about how she was treated and <spoiler> the #metoo situation might have worked better for me too. </spoiler>

“There’s a little bit of beast in every person. And in every beast, there’s a human heart with a story of how it got to that place...”

The last few lines of the last paragraph in this book LEGIT took my rating of this book up from a 3 to a 4. It hit my heart hard and was something I could relate to. I seriously LOVE the last paragraph ❤️

When I first started reading this, I thought it was a bit dry and all over the place. I didn’t give up on this book and I’m glad because it ended quite perfectly in my opinion. The characters were well written and I like the role reversal, with Bett being “the Beast” and Beau being “the Beauty.”

It was a fairly quick read and I was able to read it in less than 24hrs. If you’re looking for a light-hearted, enjoyable teen romance with a twist on Beauty and the Beast, then I’d recommend this book.